By Fakir Hassen
Johannesburg, Sep 13 (IANS) Pakistan all-rounder Shahid Afridi has finally found a format that fits his explosive talent like a glove in the Twenty20 World Championship being played here, according to commentator Jaco van der Merwe of the Afrikaans daily Beeld.
“If the Pakistani star’s all-round performance at the Sahara Kingsmead Stadium in Durban (Wednesday) against Scotland is anything to go by, Afridi can definitely make his mark in this year’s Twenty20 tournament,” Van der Merwe wrote.
Afridi first hit 22 runs off just seven balls before he took 4/19 in four overs with his fast leg-breaks, eventually being named Man of the Match.
Afridi showed right from the start that he is going to give bowlers a tough time in this tournament when he hit a fantastic six, punishing Sajid Haq in the same over with a four and another six.
“This is my life. I am mad about attacking cricket and want to play my shots, irrespective of how many wickets have fallen,” Afridi said.
Scotland captain Ryan Watson acknowledged Afridi’s status: “We bowled well, but Afridi is an outstanding player who can turn matches around. That’s what he did (yesterday).”